History

Vietnam’s lush northern river valleys presented the perfect backdrop for civilisation to blossom. Archaeological digs reveal the existence of Stone Age man 300,000 years ago, and cave dwellers and agriculture appeared by 10,000 BC.

Patches of civilisation popped up prior to the 1st millennium BC around the Red River, central Vietnam and the Dong Nai River Delta. These were the ancient Viet people, who began paddy farming, irrigation projects and developing handicraft skills in the area that evolved into the Van Lang state.

By 1000 BC, the Hung Vuong Dynasty controlled a kingdom from China to 500 kilometre south of Hanoi. An Duong Vuong transformed this into the Au Lac Nation in the 3rd century BC, but in 207 BC, Chinese General Chao T’o invaded and annexed the territory to the Red River, establishing Nam Viet. In 111 BC, Chinese Han General Chiao Chih took control, thus starting 10 centuries of Chinese control.

Mandarins administered “Chiao Chih”, and it prospered. By the 3rd century, paper and glass items appeared, and Chiao Chih grew as a trading port. However, descendants of mandarins and Viet landowners decided to revolt in 931. They defeated the Han, and the first independent Vietnamese state was established in 939.

The Chinese Sung attacked in 967, but General Le Hoan stepped in to repel them, secure the country and set up a monarchy. In 1010, Ly Thai To took the throne, moved the capital to present-day Hanoi and founded the 200-year Ly Dynasty, while renaming the country Dai Viet in 1054.

The Tran Dynasty took charge in 1225, with a centralised bureaucracy and a solid defence, which was tested in 1253 when Kubilai Kahn arrived. The Tran battled the Mongols, finally driving them out in 1287.

The Chinese Ming then set their sights on the Tran, and by 1413 controlled Dai Viet. Le Loi, a Trinh landowner, formed a group to fight the Ming, and proclaimed himself king in 1418. The Ming withdrew by 1428, and in 1460, 18-year-old King Le Thanh Tong, a Confucian scholar, ushered in the “The Flood of Virtue” era. He died in 1497, and chaos ensued until 1527 when Mac Dang Dung usurped the throne.

The Trinh revolted, and battled the Mac over Hanoi for 60 years, finally defeating them in 1592. War broke out between the southern Nguyen and the Trinh in 1622, ending in a stalemate and peace in 1673, which divided Vietnam in two.

The Nguyen began expanding south, pushing the Khmer out of Saigon in 1700 and driving deeper towards Phnom Penh, when in 1771, the Siamese came to help expel them. This triggered three brothers from Tay Son to revolt against their Nguyen lord. The Trinh then ended their truce and attacked Saigon in 1776. The Tay Son drove the Trinh to China, and then the brothers clashed for control. Hearing of the chaos, an exiled Nguyen ruler returned with the French and retook the country in 1802.

Nguyen Anh Gia Long ascended to the throne and founded Vietnam’s final dynasty. In 1858, the French invaded, the Nguyens eventually gave in, and the country became a French protectorate in 1884 with the French appointing all subsequent emperors through Bao Dai, who abdicated to Ho Chi Minh after WW2.

Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, and the subsequent Geneva Accord divided the country into north and south. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north sided with China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, while the United States backed the Republic of South Vietnam. War between the two broke out in 1965, and raged until the US pulled out in 1975.

Today’s unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam was established on 25 April 1976, with its capital in Hanoi, not far from where the Viet people got their start over 10,000 years ago.

Vietnam’s lush northern river valleys presented the perfect backdrop for civilisation to blossom. Archaeological digs reveal the existence of Stone Age man 300,000 years ago, and cave dwellers and agriculture appeared by 10,000 BC.

Patches of civilisation popped up prior to the 1st millennium BC around the Red River, central Vietnam and the Dong Nai River Delta. These were the ancient Viet people, who began paddy farming, irrigation projects and developing handicraft skills in the area that evolved into the Van Lang state.

By 1000 BC, the Hung Vuong Dynasty controlled a kingdom from China to 500 kilometre south of Hanoi. An Duong Vuong transformed this into the Au Lac Nation in the 3rd century BC, but in 207 BC, Chinese General Chao T’o invaded and annexed the territory to the Red River, establishing Nam Viet. In 111 BC, Chinese Han General Chiao Chih took control, thus starting 10 centuries of Chinese control.

Mandarins administered “Chiao Chih”, and it prospered. By the 3rd century, paper and glass items appeared, and Chiao Chih grew as a trading port. However, descendants of mandarins and Viet landowners decided to revolt in 931. They defeated the Han, and the first independent Vietnamese state was established in 939.

The Chinese Sung attacked in 967, but General Le Hoan stepped in to repel them, secure the country and set up a monarchy. In 1010, Ly Thai To took the throne, moved the capital to present-day Hanoi and founded the 200-year Ly Dynasty, while renaming the country Dai Viet in 1054.

The Tran Dynasty took charge in 1225, with a centralised bureaucracy and a solid defence, which was tested in 1253 when Kubilai Kahn arrived. The Tran battled the Mongols, finally driving them out in 1287.

The Chinese Ming then set their sights on the Tran, and by 1413 controlled Dai Viet. Le Loi, a Trinh landowner, formed a group to fight the Ming, and proclaimed himself king in 1418. The Ming withdrew by 1428, and in 1460, 18-year-old King Le Thanh Tong, a Confucian scholar, ushered in the “The Flood of Virtue” era. He died in 1497, and chaos ensued until 1527 when Mac Dang Dung usurped the throne.

The Trinh revolted, and battled the Mac over Hanoi for 60 years, finally defeating them in 1592. War broke out between the southern Nguyen and the Trinh in 1622, ending in a stalemate and peace in 1673, which divided Vietnam in two.

The Nguyen began expanding south, pushing the Khmer out of Saigon in 1700 and driving deeper towards Phnom Penh, when in 1771, the Siamese came to help expel them. This triggered three brothers from Tay Son to revolt against their Nguyen lord. The Trinh then ended their truce and attacked Saigon in 1776. The Tay Son drove the Trinh to China, and then the brothers clashed for control. Hearing of the chaos, an exiled Nguyen ruler returned with the French and retook the country in 1802.

Nguyen Anh Gia Long ascended to the throne and founded Vietnam’s final dynasty. In 1858, the French invaded, the Nguyens eventually gave in, and the country became a French protectorate in 1884 with the French appointing all subsequent emperors through Bao Dai, who abdicated to Ho Chi Minh after WW2.

Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, and the subsequent Geneva Accord divided the country into north and south. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north sided with China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, while the United States backed the Republic of South Vietnam. War between the two broke out in 1965, and raged until the US pulled out in 1975.

Today’s unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam was established on 25 April 1976, with its capital in Hanoi, not far from where the Viet people got their start over 10,000 years ago.